A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, a Boston Red Sox fan (don't ask), posted an article to her Facebook page, one that savagely took Derek Jeter to task. His primary sin? The announcement that 2014 would be his "retirement year" thus triggering a season's worth of tributes, farewells and sappy goodbyes. I am a New York Yankees fan, and I admire Jeter tremendously, but I was only too happy to - treacherously, given my company - join in this critique of his retirement plans.

Extended farewells like these are a nuisance. During the southern summer of 2003-04, as India toured Australia for a four-Test series that would eventually be drawn 1-1, cricket fans all over Australia were treated to the Steve Waugh farewell tour, for the Australian captain had announced his retirement from Test cricket at the commencement of the series. There were standing ovations, red handkerchiefs waved from all corners of all grounds, and there were many (oh, so many) tuneless tribute songs belted out lustily from the stands, the vocal chords of choirs suitably fuelled by dozens of alcoholic libations. Australia loves its cricketing heroes, but even there, I could sense, by the end of the series, a little impatience at the retirement strategy the normally hard-headed Waugh had adopted. He seemed to have hijacked the summer's cricketing narrative; and besides, how many standing ovations for one man could you, er, stand?

Our dismay at the tedium and self-indulgence of the extended or excessively staged retirement - a sentiment visible in the unease some expressed at Sachin Tendulkar's farewell - is matched by our impatience with, and sorrow over, the delayed retirement. I wonder if there is a sportswriter who has not waxed indignant, bemused, or wistful, as an ageing star declines to go down the supernova route and settles for the way of the white or brown dwarf instead: a series of increasingly bedraggled, tired, undistinguished performances threaten to crowd out the previously dominant images of sparkling sporting glory, prompting ever greater anguish on our part. Why won't our heroes put us all out of our collective miseries and call it a day already? (We are then, of course, treated to plentiful platitudes from other sportswriters, who inform us, in sonorous tones, about how champions never know when to give up, about how the fading of the light is a truth too brutal to be dealt with by most of us, and on and on.)

I wonder if there is a sportswriter who has not waxed indignant, bemused, or wistful, as an ageing star declines to go down the supernova route and settles for the way of the white or brown dwarf instead

It never gets easier. Sometimes cricketers retire too inconspicuously, not allowing for a send-off commensurate with their careers. Many Indian fans still wish Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman could have been given a proper farewell, an ovation for the ages, ringing around the rafters of one of India's mammoth cricket stadiums, the devotion and passion of the fans who underwrote their careers visible for all to see.

Is there an ideal retirement? Some say yes: retire when you are asked why and not why not? Retire at the "top of your game"; retire on "a winning note". The great Australians - Warne, McGrath, Hayden and Langer most recently, and before them Chappell, Lillee and Marsh - have shown some accomplishment in this domain, and will continue to set the benchmark here for some time to come.

Let me offer my own personal variant of the ideal retirement, a fantasy concocted - just like those World XIs - to amuse ourselves with. In my tale, the hero makes his announcement on the fourth day of the final Test of the series; he has known for some time that his retirement was nigh, but the events of the current series have convinced him the time has come. He calls a press conference, reads a prepared statement that concludes with him saying that he will answer all further questions pertaining to his retirement after the Test and series are over.

The next day, the fifth of the Test, is his: he will receive his standing ovations, from the crowd, from his opponents, or from his own team, whenever the opportunity presents itself: perhaps when he walks out to bat, perhaps when he accompanies his team out to the middle for fielding, and when he leaves the ground for one last time. And that will be that.

My personal preferences, in many domains, tend to the austere, so perhaps it's not too surprising that I should have cooked up such a retirement scenario. It does not adequately address the problem of the reluctant sports star, unwilling to drag himself off the stage, but it certainly attempts to get the applause, the farewell, the acknowledgments, the send-off, just right. Your mileage may vary; feel free to construct your own.

The ideal retirement is, of course, really a matter of taste. It's hard to satisfy the many competing desiderata of fans, journalists, one's family and personal drives and ambitions. This shouldn't be surprising; the decision to quit is an acutely difficult one. It trips up romantic relationships, mountaineers heading for summits and those reading difficult books. "Should I stay or should I go?" has never elicited a straightforward answer.

Samir Chopra lives in Brooklyn and teaches Philosophy at the City University of New York. He tweets here

Sachin walked into the sunset last November at Wankhede, watched by millions of his fans worldwide. Arguably the greatest batsman ever, Tendulkar completed his 24-year journey in a way only he could: "Playing It My Way" (his coming autobio)! Maybe he was inspired by the song "My Way" popularised by the iconic singer Frank Sinatra ... "And now, the end is here / And so I face the final curtain ... I traveled each and every highway / And more, much more than this, I did it my way"! Yes, Sachin!!

jay57870
on September 5, 2014, 10:59 GMT

Samir - It may not be "ideal", but there's something special about a star's retirement. For an exceptional superstar like Tendulkar, several factors affected the timing. Most important, as Gary Kirsten rationalised: "Look, if Rahul, Sachin or VVS decides to retire it is a major blow ... But as long as the retirements of these players are staggered, rather than everyone leaving all at once, it will be a little easier for the team to integrate and groom the younger players". Sane advice from a well-respected coach. With Rahul & VVS gone, Sachin had to stay as the team's anchor & mentor.

on September 5, 2014, 10:40 GMT

This make sense if, like yourself, you are a cricket writer who has the luxury of visiting multiple tests in the one series. Most cricket fans only attend one or two days of test cricket, and rightfully, wish to farewell their favourite sons when they retire from the game.

on September 5, 2014, 9:11 GMT

only two names come to mind, Imran Khan and McGrath. Rest did not time their retirements well.

on September 5, 2014, 6:03 GMT

I think Imran Khan is the only cricket who showed when is the ideal time of retirement. He won the World Cup for his country and retired from the team. This should the best time for any legendary cricketer to retire. It is better to win the highest award and retire rather than carry on forward and retire later on after some bumpy performances which we have seen with some of the players.

on September 4, 2014, 19:48 GMT

you talk about retirement n you misses out Imran Khan , this is insane

CricketChat
on September 4, 2014, 16:08 GMT

I don't agree that Dravid and Laxman should have been given opportunity to retire with prior notice. If they didn't retire, they deserved to be dropped (especially, Laxman, who clearly looked past his best during India's 0-8 drubbing abroad). My thinking is that when a player no longer feels the urge to prepare himself for the battle on the ground, he should quit. I also don't like lengthy retirement season. At most, it should be a one match affair.

on September 4, 2014, 14:48 GMT

I`ll leave it to the man himself, returning to a city that had lost so many throughout the course of the war, where he`d scored 334, 304, and a lowly 103 and 16 in his previous three visits. "I know I shall never cherish any memory more than the reception at Leeds... Not only was it the greatest I received in this country, but the greatest I received from any public anywhere in the world."...after scoring 33 and 173* in his final test there. Unnecessary matches? The greatest batsman the world has seen, returning to the spiritual home of the game, and showing people, in his inimitable way, that life as it had been known could begin again...that`s the way to retire.

on September 4, 2014, 14:40 GMT

Excellent article Samir. I`m not quite sure where to start with some of the comments though. Probably the one that stands out for me is this - "Inzamam, Jayawardene & Bradman had worst retirements as they risked losing their 40, 50 & 100 avg club in last few unnecessary matches"...I think Inzi might have been in the 49/50 club, but don`t know much about his last series, so will leave him out of it. Wonderful batsman at his best though. As for Jaya, we`ve all just seen the wonderful finale to his glittering career. I can`t imagine that a decimal place here or there would have swayed him either way, or take away from his wonderful farewell series at home. As for Bradman, he captained an unbeaten team on the first Ashes series in England in 10 years, as an old man. He only managed to average 75 or so in tests that tour, but farewelled the English public, still under wartime rationing, in the manner they deserved.

Sarathc90
on September 4, 2014, 8:59 GMT

@Ahmed Hassan "However, something was amiss. Something about cricket- about the sheer competition, about the level of the game, the intensity of the contest, something about playing and emerging victorious against a ferocious side at a big stage where gut-wrenching, nerve-racking pressure is the only constant."

Yes, all that is true. But it is also true that fans got a chance to say goodbye and thank you and I will forever be grateful to BCCI for that. I was there at Wankhede that day and the special, almost unique bond between Tendulkar and his legion of fans was on full display and it was spine tingling to witness it first hand. The extreme emotions that day were genuine, tangible and almost once in a lifetime experience.

BCCI had nothing to with it. It was between Tendulkar and his people.

jay57870
on September 6, 2014, 1:10 GMT

Sachin walked into the sunset last November at Wankhede, watched by millions of his fans worldwide. Arguably the greatest batsman ever, Tendulkar completed his 24-year journey in a way only he could: "Playing It My Way" (his coming autobio)! Maybe he was inspired by the song "My Way" popularised by the iconic singer Frank Sinatra ... "And now, the end is here / And so I face the final curtain ... I traveled each and every highway / And more, much more than this, I did it my way"! Yes, Sachin!!

jay57870
on September 5, 2014, 10:59 GMT

Samir - It may not be "ideal", but there's something special about a star's retirement. For an exceptional superstar like Tendulkar, several factors affected the timing. Most important, as Gary Kirsten rationalised: "Look, if Rahul, Sachin or VVS decides to retire it is a major blow ... But as long as the retirements of these players are staggered, rather than everyone leaving all at once, it will be a little easier for the team to integrate and groom the younger players". Sane advice from a well-respected coach. With Rahul & VVS gone, Sachin had to stay as the team's anchor & mentor.

on September 5, 2014, 10:40 GMT

This make sense if, like yourself, you are a cricket writer who has the luxury of visiting multiple tests in the one series. Most cricket fans only attend one or two days of test cricket, and rightfully, wish to farewell their favourite sons when they retire from the game.

on September 5, 2014, 9:11 GMT

only two names come to mind, Imran Khan and McGrath. Rest did not time their retirements well.

on September 5, 2014, 6:03 GMT

I think Imran Khan is the only cricket who showed when is the ideal time of retirement. He won the World Cup for his country and retired from the team. This should the best time for any legendary cricketer to retire. It is better to win the highest award and retire rather than carry on forward and retire later on after some bumpy performances which we have seen with some of the players.

on September 4, 2014, 19:48 GMT

you talk about retirement n you misses out Imran Khan , this is insane

CricketChat
on September 4, 2014, 16:08 GMT

I don't agree that Dravid and Laxman should have been given opportunity to retire with prior notice. If they didn't retire, they deserved to be dropped (especially, Laxman, who clearly looked past his best during India's 0-8 drubbing abroad). My thinking is that when a player no longer feels the urge to prepare himself for the battle on the ground, he should quit. I also don't like lengthy retirement season. At most, it should be a one match affair.

on September 4, 2014, 14:48 GMT

I`ll leave it to the man himself, returning to a city that had lost so many throughout the course of the war, where he`d scored 334, 304, and a lowly 103 and 16 in his previous three visits. "I know I shall never cherish any memory more than the reception at Leeds... Not only was it the greatest I received in this country, but the greatest I received from any public anywhere in the world."...after scoring 33 and 173* in his final test there. Unnecessary matches? The greatest batsman the world has seen, returning to the spiritual home of the game, and showing people, in his inimitable way, that life as it had been known could begin again...that`s the way to retire.

on September 4, 2014, 14:40 GMT

Excellent article Samir. I`m not quite sure where to start with some of the comments though. Probably the one that stands out for me is this - "Inzamam, Jayawardene & Bradman had worst retirements as they risked losing their 40, 50 & 100 avg club in last few unnecessary matches"...I think Inzi might have been in the 49/50 club, but don`t know much about his last series, so will leave him out of it. Wonderful batsman at his best though. As for Jaya, we`ve all just seen the wonderful finale to his glittering career. I can`t imagine that a decimal place here or there would have swayed him either way, or take away from his wonderful farewell series at home. As for Bradman, he captained an unbeaten team on the first Ashes series in England in 10 years, as an old man. He only managed to average 75 or so in tests that tour, but farewelled the English public, still under wartime rationing, in the manner they deserved.

Sarathc90
on September 4, 2014, 8:59 GMT

@Ahmed Hassan "However, something was amiss. Something about cricket- about the sheer competition, about the level of the game, the intensity of the contest, something about playing and emerging victorious against a ferocious side at a big stage where gut-wrenching, nerve-racking pressure is the only constant."

Yes, all that is true. But it is also true that fans got a chance to say goodbye and thank you and I will forever be grateful to BCCI for that. I was there at Wankhede that day and the special, almost unique bond between Tendulkar and his legion of fans was on full display and it was spine tingling to witness it first hand. The extreme emotions that day were genuine, tangible and almost once in a lifetime experience.

BCCI had nothing to with it. It was between Tendulkar and his people.

on September 4, 2014, 7:00 GMT

Kallis also smartly retired from tests with decline clearly apparent he generated an artificial peak as he knew Indian bowling was club level & he would score a 100 easily & Ind was likely to be easily defeated outside subcontinent. All went acc to plan

on September 4, 2014, 6:49 GMT

@Ahmed Hassaan Imran was well past his peak when he retired Wasim was hitting peak then. Besides u scientifically cannot determine when peak comes until a curve starts its decline. So when decline just starts you can retire just generating an artificial peak like What Sachin or DeSilva did.

Anyhow Imran & McGrath had the perfect retirements of all time

on September 4, 2014, 6:41 GMT

You should retire when cons r gona be more than gains of staying and u r not discovering new methods of rediscovering g8 form

eg Sachin retired aptly in ODI & Tests as his avg dipped from his peak 45.12 by 0.2 pts & he couldn't score that 50th ODI 100 bcz his form & composure had deserted him. With tough overseas test tours ahead he got to easy milestone of 200 tests & retired. Kapil also smartly got to most wickets record & retired with all abilities fading. De Silva had perfect retirement at WC 2003.

Inzamam, Jayawardene & Bradman had worst retirements as they risked losing their 40, 50 & 100 avg club in last few unnecessary matches, which they did. Mural's also took bad decision to risk missing 800 wkts record.

But u cannot determine whether a decline will lead to another bigger peak. Sachin's career is an example of that. After his decline post 2003 WC Sachin hit another peak in 2007.

Compared to his pre 2003 career that had feats of destroying AUS, most runs in 2 WCs, most ODI 100s and won 5 tournament finals with his brilliance; his new peak of 2007 onward was no less impactful as he gained Cricketer of the year, won world cup as tournament 2nd leading run scorer, scored ODI 200, won VB series finals in Aus with his own brilliance, destroyed SA in SA and won Asia Cup with his brilliance. If Sachin having hit a serious decline post 2003 WC had retired his career would be half luminous as is now and Ind would have suffered too as they would not have won these titles.

You should retire when cons r gona be more than gains of staying and u r not discovering new methods of rediscovering g8 form.

on September 4, 2014, 5:03 GMT

what about murali 800 wicket in his last ball in test cricket

ElBeeDubya
on September 3, 2014, 23:47 GMT

Samir, Langer scored a century and a half century, both in the same Test, and averaged under 37 in his last 10 Tests. Hayden did not score a century and only made one half century with an average under 24 in his last 9 Tests. I would not say they went on a high.

Fans may appreciate iconic players giving some advanced notice since they may like to see them one more time. When a player announces the retirement on the penultimate evening of the Test, making travel plans or taking the next day off could be an issue. It would be hard to explain why a person who called in sick was at the game if your boss sees you in some highlights footage.

damnhomie_1
on September 3, 2014, 19:08 GMT

Yes, at least Sachin had a perfect moment to retire from One day cricket which was obviously after winning the much awaited ICC World Cup and that too in Mumbai in front of his home crowd. But sadly the commercial reasons took the better of him and he kept on playing meaningless One Days for longer. He could have retired in tests after 100 centuries.

Deuce03
on September 3, 2014, 15:47 GMT

Surely Imran Khan had the best-timed retirement ever?

on September 3, 2014, 14:54 GMT

The media, the BCCI tried their best to give Tendulkar the grandest of all retirements- it was almost like a scene from the movies, prolific on paper- test victory at home ground in front thousands of die hard fans accompanied with sentiments and tears. However, something was amiss. Something about cricket- about the sheer competition, about the level of the game, the intensity of the contest, something about playing and emerging victorious against a ferocious side at a big stage where gut-wrenching, nerve-racking pressure is the only constant. Tendulkar failed to achieve that while playing his last game against a disintegrated West Indian side whose soul purpose to tour India was to facilitate the 'perfect' retirement for Tendulkar. Imran Khan, on the contrary, achieved the rare feat by beating the mighty English side in the biggest stages of them all- the final of a world cup on an Australian pitch down under. Its true what they say- always retire at your peak!

sidgarg
on September 3, 2014, 13:59 GMT

I think ideal time would be to announce it before the start of the Test match rather than waiting for the 4th day. Fans lose the swansong moment and so does the player, for eg a batsman may not get the opportunity to bat on the 5th day or worse, a bowler may not be able to bowl on his final day of cricket. Some tests don't even go till the 4th day nowadays.
In this respect, kallis, kumble, ganguly announced it at the perfect time.

on September 3, 2014, 13:52 GMT

the only Indian batsman who left at his peak was Sourav Ganguly. Dada's batting avg in his last 10 tests was 47.5 which is higher than his career average. Also he announced his retirement before the 2008 australia series. india beat their biggest opponents then, 2-0 in a 4 test series. there was quite a hysteria during the series and like steve waugh he was lifted on his junior team mates' shoulders while he came off the ground for the last time. Dada left Indian cricket in a much better state than it was when he joined it. it was a great experience watching it.

on September 3, 2014, 9:41 GMT

Prabhakar, Hayden didnt retire with Warne, Mcgrath and Langer after 2007 Ashes. The 4th player to retire during that series was Damien Martyn who retired after 2nd test of the Ashes series. Hayden did play the 2007-08 series against India in Aus and also test series in India in 2008. Hayden retired in Jan 2009 after test series against SA which makes it 2 yrs after Warne, McGrath. The writer and you both are mistaken about when Hayden retired, there is exactly a 2 yrs gap and he wasnt scared of India, he played 2 more series with them, winning one.

on September 3, 2014, 8:14 GMT

Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan ( the second time around he retired!!!) had the ideal retirements. Warne, Mcgrath, Hayden and Langer in a way too- but they in a way avoided a contest with a strong Indian side - remember India with Viru Sehwag, RD, SRT and VVS had become a pain in the neck of the all conquering Aussies. These 4 chose to retire after a 5-0 whitewash of England rather than wait for the next big challenge in the same year- against India. Only Gilchrist held on till the India series. As it turned out India ran the Aussies close in 2008. If not for some substandard umpiring, India were winning the series.

on September 3, 2014, 7:24 GMT

Do I read Anil Kumble here?

No featured comments at the moment.

on September 3, 2014, 7:24 GMT

Do I read Anil Kumble here?

on September 3, 2014, 8:14 GMT

Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan ( the second time around he retired!!!) had the ideal retirements. Warne, Mcgrath, Hayden and Langer in a way too- but they in a way avoided a contest with a strong Indian side - remember India with Viru Sehwag, RD, SRT and VVS had become a pain in the neck of the all conquering Aussies. These 4 chose to retire after a 5-0 whitewash of England rather than wait for the next big challenge in the same year- against India. Only Gilchrist held on till the India series. As it turned out India ran the Aussies close in 2008. If not for some substandard umpiring, India were winning the series.

on September 3, 2014, 9:41 GMT

Prabhakar, Hayden didnt retire with Warne, Mcgrath and Langer after 2007 Ashes. The 4th player to retire during that series was Damien Martyn who retired after 2nd test of the Ashes series. Hayden did play the 2007-08 series against India in Aus and also test series in India in 2008. Hayden retired in Jan 2009 after test series against SA which makes it 2 yrs after Warne, McGrath. The writer and you both are mistaken about when Hayden retired, there is exactly a 2 yrs gap and he wasnt scared of India, he played 2 more series with them, winning one.

on September 3, 2014, 13:52 GMT

the only Indian batsman who left at his peak was Sourav Ganguly. Dada's batting avg in his last 10 tests was 47.5 which is higher than his career average. Also he announced his retirement before the 2008 australia series. india beat their biggest opponents then, 2-0 in a 4 test series. there was quite a hysteria during the series and like steve waugh he was lifted on his junior team mates' shoulders while he came off the ground for the last time. Dada left Indian cricket in a much better state than it was when he joined it. it was a great experience watching it.

sidgarg
on September 3, 2014, 13:59 GMT

I think ideal time would be to announce it before the start of the Test match rather than waiting for the 4th day. Fans lose the swansong moment and so does the player, for eg a batsman may not get the opportunity to bat on the 5th day or worse, a bowler may not be able to bowl on his final day of cricket. Some tests don't even go till the 4th day nowadays.
In this respect, kallis, kumble, ganguly announced it at the perfect time.

on September 3, 2014, 14:54 GMT

The media, the BCCI tried their best to give Tendulkar the grandest of all retirements- it was almost like a scene from the movies, prolific on paper- test victory at home ground in front thousands of die hard fans accompanied with sentiments and tears. However, something was amiss. Something about cricket- about the sheer competition, about the level of the game, the intensity of the contest, something about playing and emerging victorious against a ferocious side at a big stage where gut-wrenching, nerve-racking pressure is the only constant. Tendulkar failed to achieve that while playing his last game against a disintegrated West Indian side whose soul purpose to tour India was to facilitate the 'perfect' retirement for Tendulkar. Imran Khan, on the contrary, achieved the rare feat by beating the mighty English side in the biggest stages of them all- the final of a world cup on an Australian pitch down under. Its true what they say- always retire at your peak!

Deuce03
on September 3, 2014, 15:47 GMT

Surely Imran Khan had the best-timed retirement ever?

damnhomie_1
on September 3, 2014, 19:08 GMT

Yes, at least Sachin had a perfect moment to retire from One day cricket which was obviously after winning the much awaited ICC World Cup and that too in Mumbai in front of his home crowd. But sadly the commercial reasons took the better of him and he kept on playing meaningless One Days for longer. He could have retired in tests after 100 centuries.

ElBeeDubya
on September 3, 2014, 23:47 GMT

Samir, Langer scored a century and a half century, both in the same Test, and averaged under 37 in his last 10 Tests. Hayden did not score a century and only made one half century with an average under 24 in his last 9 Tests. I would not say they went on a high.

Fans may appreciate iconic players giving some advanced notice since they may like to see them one more time. When a player announces the retirement on the penultimate evening of the Test, making travel plans or taking the next day off could be an issue. It would be hard to explain why a person who called in sick was at the game if your boss sees you in some highlights footage.